﻿GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK. 
  

  

  (GEOLOGICAL 
  MAP.) 
  

  

  Economic 
  Geology 
  of 
  Ulster 
  County. 
  

  

  By 
  Frank 
  L. 
  Nason. 
  

  

  James 
  Hall, 
  State 
  Geologist 
  : 
  

  

  Sir. 
  — 
  The 
  natural 
  resources 
  of 
  Ulster 
  county 
  reach 
  through 
  a 
  

   wide 
  range 
  of 
  geologic 
  time. 
  The 
  mineral 
  from 
  which 
  metals 
  

   are 
  extracted 
  give 
  numerous 
  traces 
  of 
  their 
  existence, 
  but 
  all 
  

   attempts 
  to 
  work 
  them 
  have 
  proved 
  failures. 
  

  

  Yeins 
  or 
  crevices 
  in 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Shawangunk 
  grits 
  have 
  

   yielded 
  lead, 
  copper 
  and 
  zinc 
  sulphides 
  ; 
  limonite 
  or 
  bog 
  iron 
  ore 
  

   has 
  been 
  found 
  and 
  worked 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  

   Rondout 
  creek 
  near 
  Napanoch. 
  The 
  usual 
  tales 
  of 
  the 
  finding 
  

   of 
  gold 
  and 
  silver, 
  both 
  among 
  the 
  Shawangunk 
  and 
  the 
  Catskill 
  

   mountains, 
  are 
  current, 
  but 
  even 
  the 
  credulous 
  are 
  too 
  wise 
  to 
  

   invest 
  money 
  in 
  this 
  useless 
  search. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  Oatskills 
  the 
  expectation 
  of 
  finding 
  coal 
  -is 
  often 
  

   voiced, 
  " 
  if 
  you 
  only 
  go 
  deep 
  enough," 
  and 
  this 
  belief 
  is 
  still 
  firm 
  

   in 
  the 
  minds 
  of 
  many, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  geologists 
  have 
  

   long 
  since 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  if 
  coal 
  or 
  coal-bearing 
  rocks 
  were 
  

   ever 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  the 
  last 
  trace 
  was 
  swept 
  away 
  ages 
  ago. 
  

   Often 
  the 
  expression 
  is 
  heard, 
  " 
  if 
  there 
  isn't 
  coal 
  or 
  mineral 
  in 
  

   these 
  mountains 
  what 
  are 
  they 
  good 
  for 
  ? 
  " 
  These 
  persons 
  forget 
  

   the 
  numerous 
  quarries 
  that 
  are 
  almost 
  limitless 
  in 
  extent, 
  and 
  

   which 
  yield 
  their 
  homely 
  product 
  with 
  sure, 
  if 
  moderate 
  returns; 
  

   72 
  

  

  